Juveniles and Sex

Kimberly Mills

Juveniles and Sex Research Paper

CRJ 210

6/12/13

Juveniles and Sexual Acts

When juveniles are introduced to sex by their peer’s society says it is wrong. They have to be careful what kind of pictures they send to each other like bathing suit pictures can be called a sexual act. Sex has always been a touchy subject in our society, but at some point juveniles get curious and our society is so closed-mouthed about a natural function for us. When a juvenile commits a sexual offense should they be punished the same as an adult? When has a juvenile sexual act gone too far? Juveniles that turn t prostitution can be held in a court of law but are not old enough to vote or marry without their parents’ permission. Not so long ago young girls were married and having children and that was accepted. So what are our children learning about sexual acts in our society.

While society bombards us with alarming number of teens having sex, few people actually understand what might cause a teen to have sex. Three studies offer some insight to sexually active teens, environment, age of partner, and perceived family support.

Researchers at the University of Kentucky followed 950 teenagers at 17 different schools. They were from 9th to10th graders. They found that teens that have sex think their friends are too, even when they are not. Teens tend to overestimate how many of their peers are having sex. 33% of the kids had sex before the 9th grade and 31% said that most or all of everybody they knew was having sex. “If you can persuade them that fewer are having sex than they think that can impact their behavior.” Says Katharine Atwood; assistant professor at the Kentucky School of Public Health. (6)

For young girls, a partner’s age is a risk factor for sexual activity. “The younger the girl is at the age of first intercourse, the more likely she is to have a much older partner,” says Harold Leitenberg, Ph.D. a professor of Psychology at the...